


A Spooky Meeting

by OpalSparks



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Crack Relationships, Cute, Developing Relationship, F/M, First Meetings, GhostChildShipping, Headcanon, Love, Sweet, relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:14:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21608878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OpalSparks/pseuds/OpalSparks
Summary: Acerola is on vacation, and is currently visiting the Galar region. While she's there, she decides to check out the Stow-on-side Stadium, being a ghost trainer herself. While she is looking for the stadium, she meets a young boy named Allister, who happens to be Stow-on-side's gym leader.
Relationships: Acerola/Onion | Allister
Comments: 8
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I really love these spooky kids and I want them to be together. They're just too adorable, so I decided to write a fanfic about them meeting and interacting.

Stow-on-side was a neat little town with a fresh air about it. But more importantly, it was home to the ghost type stadium in the Galar region, which was most of the reason that trainers even went to Stow-on-side: to challenge the gym leader, Allister.  
However, there was a young girl, who seemed to be visiting Stow-on-side for a different reason. Her fluffy purple hair bounced with each step she took, and her raggy dress flowed around her, albeit while lacking elegance. In her arms, she cradled a Mimikyu. The small ghost type Pokemon seemed exhausted, and had dozed off in its trainer’s embrace.

“Dear me, Mimikyu, what am I ever going to do with you? Who would have thought that it would be you that would have jet lag, rather than me?” The girl giggled. Though she knew people were giving her funny looks, likely due to her raggy dress, she paid them no mind. She was used to the odd looks people gave her. It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford new clothes, she simply had an attachment to the dress she wore now.

While looking around, not paying a whole lot of attention to where she was walking, the purple-haired girl accidentally bumped into somebody. “Oof! I’m sorry!” She turned her attention to a masked boy, who appeared just a little younger than herself. She took note of his black hair, and his strange looking uniform.

The masked boy glanced up at the girl, his purple eyes glowing underneath the shadow provided by the mask. Hesitantly, he nodded. “...’m fine…”

The girl looked at the boy curiously, and then just gave him a dumb little smile. “By the way, I was wondering, where is the stadium? I can’t seem to find it.” She asked.  
The boy gave the strange girl before him a quick glance. “Y-You don’t seem to be a challenger...how come you want to go to the stadium?” He asked.

The girl gave a cheeky smile. “I don’t know how you knew that much, but you’re right! I’m actually just wanting to observe a battle there!” She then thought for a moment. “Hmm, you know, I suppose it’s rude of me to not introduce myself to you while asking you for help. My name is Acerola, I’m actually a member of Alola’s Elite Four. I’m currently taking a little break, so I decided I’d visit Galar, since their league seems so different from most places.” 

The boy nodded. “I-I see...w-well, I umm...’m Allister, the gym leader of Stow-on-side’s stadium…” He introduced quietly, though glancing away.

Acerola smiled eagerly. “You’re the gym leader? I think you just might be the youngest person I know to be in such a position!” She then rubbed the back of her head. “Umm...not that I’m one to talk about that myself, I suppose…” She laughed it off.

Allister sighed. “I-If you follow me, I can take you to the stadium…” As he hesitantly took the lead, he had a curious question tugging at him. “W-What type do you specialize in, Miss Acerola…?” He asked.

Acerola giggled a bit. “Oh you don’t have to address me with ‘Miss,’ you silly thing! But to answer your question, I specialize in ghost Pokemon. Isn’t that the type you specialize in as well?” She asked.

Allister nodded. “Y...Yes. I do.” He responded, and continued to walk. The masked gym leader led Acerola into the stadium lobby. He looked back at Acerola. “Lucky for you, 'm expecting at least one challenger today…” He said.

Acerola smiled with glee. “I sure hope so! I’d love to see what sorts of battles take place in this stadium!” She said eagerly. “And I bet that despite your age, you’re a super strong trainer! You can’t be a gym leader for nothing, after all!”

Allister felt his face get a little warm as the Alolan trainer complimented him. Though it couldn’t be seen behind his mask, he was sure that he may be blushing just a little. “T-Thanks M--I mean, thanks, Acerola…” He spoke awkwardly.

Acerola grinned at the boy. “Hey, it’s no problem! I just wish I could see how well you battle, right away!” She said.

A man approached the two trainers. “Hey, Allister. Word is that your next challenger has already arrived in town. I think you should go ahead and prepare the challenge.” He stated.

Allister nodded. “R-Right.” He turned to Acerola, and pointed to a door. “That doorway will take you to the bleachers, so that you can watch the battle.” He said. “T-That is...only if you want to watch.”

Acerola smiled and giggled. “Of course I want to watch, silly! That’s what I’m here for, to observe! Can’t wait for your battle!” She said, and went through the door that Allister pointed out.

Allister stood there for a moment, staring in the direction that Acerola had just left from. He sighed. After a short while, he decided to leave, to wait for his challenger to arrive.


	2. Chapter 2

A serious battle took place within Stow-on-side’s very own stadium. Among the crowd was Acerola, who was in Galar to observe the ghost-type stadium. She watched in awe, unable to believe what she was witnessing.   
Allister and his opponent both called back their last Pokemon, and their Poke balls expanded in size, quite drastically, before they sent their Pokemon back out, both of them becoming very large, much to Acerola’s surprise. On Allister’s side, his Gengar looked like the very being of darkness, ready to swallow everything in its path. On the challenger’s end was a giant Cinderace.

Acerola excitedly stood up out of her seat, and started to cheer. “Go Allister! You can do this!” She yelled excitedly. 

The battle between Allister and his opponent was quite intense. One powerful attack after another was launched from both sides, until eventually, their Pokemon turned back to normal. Eventually, Allister came out victorious against his challenger.

Acerola started to bounce happily. “Yay! Allister won! He really showed everyone how great ghost Pokemon really are!” She said excitedly. Her Mimikyu seemed to share Acerola’s happiness as well.

Acerola met with Allister in the stadium lobby, running over to him. Without a second thought, Acerola gave him a hug. “You did it Allister! That was amazing!” She said cheerfully.

Allister jumped a little at the sudden gesture. “Ep! I-I uhh...well really, I’m just doing my job as a gym leader…” He said, rather sheepishly.

Acerola giggled, letting go of Allister. “Oh, would you please tell me about what you did when your Pokemon became gigantic? Just what was that, Allister?” She gave Allister a pleading stare.

Allister blushed faintly underneath his mask, and was quite thankful that Acerola couldn’t see it. “Umm...s-sure, I can tell you about it.” He rubbed the back of his head.

Acerola’s eyes gleamed, and she grabbed Allister’s hands. “I know! Why don’t we go get lunch, and you can tell me all about it over a meal! How does that sound?”

Allister felt a little embarrassed by how open Acerola was. He looked up at her, and nodded. “That sounds great.” He said shyly.

Acerola grinned eagerly. “Alright, come on then! Let’s go!” She said, dragging Allister along with her. “I saw a place that looked pretty great, and I really want to try it out.” She said.

Allister stumbled behind Acerola awkwardly as he was dragged by his wrist. “S-Slow down, Acerola, we’re not in a big hurry…” Allister said.

Once the twosome arrived to the restaurant Acerola had seen, she dragged Allister inside with her, and once they were seated, Acerola looked over the menu.

“Wow, the food here sure is different from the food in Alola.” She said, with a silly smile on her face. “So, won’t you please tell me about that battle earlier?” She asked.

Allister nodded, looking at Acerola. “R-Right...umm, here in Galar, there are these places called power spots. Most stadiums are built on top of a power spot.” He began, and then showed Acerola his Dynamax Band. “This is a Dynamax Band, a-and what you saw earlier was known as Dynamax. Or, in Gengar’s case, Gigantimax.” He explained. “D-Dynamax and Gigantimax makes a Pokemon’s attacks stronger, and makes them more durable.”

Acerola just looked absolutely fascinated as she listened to Allister. “That’s certainly strange. And so, these power spots...are they the only places this can occur?” She asked.

Allister nodded. “T-That’s correct. Dynamax can occur at most stadiums, t-the Champion Cup, and the Battle Tower, or dens in the Wild Area.” He explained shyly.

Acerola smiled at Allister. “Wow, you sure do know a lot, Allister. I’m very impressed!” She said, giving Allister a wink.

Although Acerola couldn’t see it, Allister was a blushing mess. “R-Really, it’s...it’s just my job to know these things.” He insisted. “We should probably go ahead and order something.

Acerola giggled softly. “Oh alright, alright, I get it.” She said, and waved a waitress down so that the two of them could order their meals.

As Acerola started to head back to the Stow-on-side Stadium with Allister, she looked at him. “You know Allister, you aren’t half bad! But, I was wondering, when do you plan on taking that mask off?” She asked.

Allister looked up at Acerola, and stared at her. “...I-I don’t…” He said, holding onto his mask somewhat protectively.

Acerola smiled and got up close to Allister. “Oh come on, that’s just silly. Surely you have to remove it sometimes?” She said, reaching for Allister’s mask.

Allister quickly grabbed ahold of Acerola’s wrist, pushing her hand back. “P-Please don’t touch my mask...please…?” He begged quietly.

Acerola looked at Allister, confused. She sighed, and once Allister let go of her wrist, she retracted her hand. “Oh alright, I won’t pry into it. I’d just really like to know what your face looks like, though…” She said.

Allister looked around awkwardly. “Erm...uhh…” He looked up at Acerola. “H-How long are you in Galar for…?” He asked.

Acerola gave Allister a cheeky smile. “I’ll be here for two more weeks!” She said happily.

Allister thought for a moment, pondering something. He then glanced at Acerola again. “T-There’s going to be a festival here in Stow-on-side in two days...I was wondering if...if you’d like to go with me…” He said sheepishly.

Acerola looked really happy, and gave Allister a tight hug. “You mean it? I’d just love to go! Of course I will!” She said excitedly.

Allister jumped a little, and felt a bit embarrassed. “Ep! O-Okay, that’s good...umm...meet me at the Pokemon Center in two days, then.” He said.

Acerola smiled, and let go of Allister. “Okay, I will! It was really nice meeting you today, Allister!” She then looked at him. “Hey...umm, is it okay if I call you Allie?” She asked.

Allister rubbed the back of his head. “Well...umm…” He blushed a little underneath his mask. “...O-Okay, but only you…” He said.

Acerola pat Allister on the head. “Okay Allie! I’m going to go look around at a few more places, so I’ll see you in two days!” She said.

Allister was a bit embarrassed by the nickname, but nodded. “O-Okay. I’ll see you later, then.” He said, and started to head back to the Stadium.

Acerola smiled and walked off in the opposite direction, ready to explore a little bit more before coming back to Stow-on-side for the festival that Allister mentioned.


	3. Chapter 3

While she was waiting for the day of Stow-on-side’s festival, Acerola had taken a visit to Ballonlea. The beauty of the illuminating mushrooms in the forest and the town left her in awe that day. Even while she is in Stow-on-side’s Pokemon Center, waiting for Allister, the glowing mushrooms she saw that day were still burned in her mind. The image stuck so well inside her head, that she felt as if she could see them just as well as if she were still in Ballonlea.

Allister entered the Pokemon Center to make his rendezvous with Acerola. He felt a little awkward as he approached her, hiding something behind his back. “Y-You really showed up…?” He asked her.

Acerola snapped out of her fairytale-like trance, and looked at Allister. She smiled warmly at him. “But of course I did! I wasn’t gonna just stand you up, you know!” She said, standing up.

Allister looked at Acerola’s ice blue eyes, finding himself lost in her gaze for a moment. He rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I’m not quite used to anybody hanging out with me, so…”

Acerola hugged Allister. “Well you don’t have to worry about that with me! Come on let’s go!” She said, taking Allister’s hand and dragging him along.

Allister awkwardly followed Acerola, and rubbed the back of his head. “...S-Shouldn’t I be the one to lead? Stow-on-side is my hometown…” He said shyly.

Acerola looked at Allister, and smiled. “You have a point, Allie! Lead the way!” She said, playfully bouncing back right behind him.

Allister started to walk with Acerola, looking around at the booths. He saw a ball toss game, and led Acerola to it. “...H-How much?” He asked.

The booth owner smiled. “Well, if it ain’t the gym leader himself. And what’s this, why it looks like you have a date?” He winked.

Allister blushed quite a bit underneath the mask as Acerola giggled. He rubbed the back of his head. “N-No it’s not...j-just how much does it cost to play?” Allister asked, a bit flustered.

“It’s three hundred Pok é for three shots.” The booth owner informed, smiling. “Would you like to give it a try?” He asked.

Allister nodded, handing over the money. “...Sure.” He said. “But I’ll only need one.”

The booth owner chuckled a bit. “Well, I’ll give you the other two if you fail anyways, but if you insist, for now, here’s one ball.” He said, handing Allister a rubber ball made to look like a Pokeball. “But just please don’t throw it the way you throw your Pokeballs in the stadium. You won’t knock anything down that way.” 

Allister ignored the booth owner, preparing his underhanded throw. He threw the ball up into the air, and as it came down, it knocked the milk cans from the bottom over, bringing the can from the top down with them.

The booth owner looked shocked, and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I guess I stand corrected…” He laughed. “Alright, you knocked over all three cans, so you can pick any prize from the top shelf.” He said, pointing to several different prizes.

Allister looked over all of the different prizes he had to pick from. After careful consideration, he looked at the booth owner. “I-I want the Mimikyu plush…” He said quietly.

The booth owner smiled. “I should have figured. You really do like ghost-type Pokemon!” He said, and handed Allister the Mimikyu plush. “Here you go.”

Allister took the Mimikyu plush carefully. He then turned to Acerola, and awkwardly held it up toward her. “...H-Here. F-For you.” He said.

Acerola looked a little bit surprised, but she smiled. She happily accepted it. “Aww...thanks Allie! It’s so adorable!” She said, nuzzling the plush.

Allister blushed faintly behind his mask, and looked away awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. “I-It’s no problem at all…” He wondered to himself why he was starting to feel so nervous around her.

Acerola looked around. “I’m hungry! Let’s go get something to eat, Allie!” She said, a cute smile on her face as she looked at Allister.

Allister looked at Acerola, and nodded shyly. “O-Okay then.” He said, leading Acerola to a booth that was selling food. “W-What would you like?” He asked.

Acerola looked at all of the snacks to choose from. “I think I’m going to get a caramel apple!” She said with a smile.

Allister nodded, and decided he’d get one for her, since he was the one who invited her in the first place. Once they got to the front, Allister looked up at the booth owner. “O-One caramel apple, please…” He said, handing over the money to purchase it. Once he’d gotten the caramel apple, he handed it over to Acerola. “H-Here you go.

Acerola smiled, and accepted it. “Aw...thank you Allie, you’re too sweet.” She said, and started to eat the sweet treat before her.   
Allister rubbed the back of his head shyly. “I-It’s nothing, really.” Sure, he wanted to believe he was just trying to be polite, but that was only because he didn’t understand the true feeling he was experiencing. It was foreign to him.

Acerola giggled a little bit. “Don’t discredit yourself! You really have been so nice to me so far!” She said, smiling. “I don’t think I’ve met anyone nearly as kind as you are.”

Allister blushed behind his mask, and looked at Acerola. “...Really?” He asked. He found it weird that just him trying to be polite was seen as the kindest this girl had seen.

Acerola smiled with a goofy little grin. “Yep! I mean, you only just recently met me, and you’ve already invited me to this festival, and gave me a couple of things.” She said.

Allister knew she had a point there. Now that she mentioned it, he guessed he wouldn’t really do this for just anyone, so what made her so special? Maybe he just really enjoyed her company? He wasn’t quite sure what it was. “I-I guess I’m just in a good mood.” He said, not sure what else he could say about the matter.

Acerola giggled a little bit. She could tell he had to think to come up with such a simple answer. She herself figured it was something more than just that. “Just in a good mood, huh? Well, I guess we all have days like that!” She said, just playing along. She didn’t want to pick on him, he seemed too sweet for that.   
  
Allister and Acerola spent the day enjoying the festival. Later in the evening, the two of them rested at the site of Stow-on-side’s destroyed mural. They were watching the festivities from there, and also stargazing a little bit.   
Allister was smiling faintly behind his mask, looking up at the sky. “P-Part of the reason I like Stow-on-side is because the stars look brighter here.” He said, staring in awe. 

Acerola smiled at Allister. “Yeah, I know what you mean, Allie. Stow-on-side doesn’t have a bunch of city lights to obscure the sight of the stars.” She said, gazing at the blanket of different colored dots that stretched upon the black, night sky.

Allister smiled a little bit more. Normally, he didn’t feel this happy. Tonight, however, being in Acerola’s company felt like pure bliss. She was a nice person, the two of them shared similar interests. He even wondered if he’d feel comfortable if Acerola were to see his face. “T-To tell the truth, y-you’re the first person I’ve met to have so many of the same interests I have…” He said.

Acerola looked at Allister, and smiled. “Is that so? Well, I guess I’d have to say the same, Allie! Oh, right, I got you something!” She turned to Allister, and took his hand, placing something within it.

Allister blushed faintly with the unexpected contact, but looked into the palm of his hand. In it was a small, round purple orb, with a yellow crescent moon underneath, on a tassel. Allister looked at it, and looked at Acerola. “W-What is it?” He asked.

Acerola smiled at Allister, and giggled. “It’s a little charm that I got you, to remember this night! You can put it on a bag, or something, if you want!” She explained, and winked.

Allister looked at Acerola, a little bit surprised. “T-That’s...nice, Acerola. T-Thank you.” He said, blushing behind his mask.

Acerola smiled, and she gazed up at the sky. “The moon is beautiful tonight.” She said softly.*

Allister could feel his face heat up behind his mask, blushing from ear to ear now. “H-Huh? What?” He asked, startled.

Acerola looked at Allister, and giggled a little bit. “What’s the matter, Allie? Why are you getting so worked up all of a sudden?” She asked.

Allister blushed, and rubbed the back of his head. “Umm...i-it’s nothing, nevermind…” He said, feeling a little bit awkward now.   
  
Allister and Acerola spent the rest of the festival night by the broken mural, not at all realizing how late it had gotten until they noticed the festival coming to a close. 

Allister looked on and sighed. “It looks like the festival is coming to a close, Acerola...Acerola?” He seemed confused when she didn’t answer him. He looked at her, and blushed when he realized she fell asleep, leaning against him. He sighed, and couldn’t help but to smile just a little. This was a comfortable feeling for him, even though they were sitting outside. He decided not to disturb her, and eventually, he dozed off along with Acerola.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * "月がきれいですね" ("The moon is beautiful") can be a poetic way to say "I like you". Tsuki (moon) sounds like suki (like). In this chapter, Allister wasn't quite sure if Acerola was just commenting on the night, or if she meant something else entirely.


	4. Chapter 4

The sun rose, lighting up a brand new day. Allister and Acerola were both asleep, leaning against each other near Stow-on-sides crumbling, broken mural. 

As the two ghost-type experts snoozed side-by-side, a tall, strong-looking girl with tan skin walked up the stairs. Her tan skin and platinum hair glowed with health, especially in the sunlight. She discovered the sleeping trainers, and she couldn’t help but to smile faintly at the sight. She approached them slowly, and shook them gently. “Hey, wake up. Rise and shine.” She spoke in a rather serious tone.

Allister groaned a bit, rubbing his eyes underneath his mask. “Hmm….?” He then looked up, and saw the girl above him. “Ah! Bea!? What are you doing here…?” He then looked around, confused, and started to remember where he’d fallen asleep last night as he saw Acerola next to him.

Bea looked at them with a stern look. “Nobody gave you kids alcohol, did they?” She asked. “This seems like a weird place to sleep sober.”

Allister quickly shook his head. “Oh no! No! I-I swear we didn’t drink anything, Bea!” He said. “You see...umm...she fell asleep on me, and I didn’t want to disturb her…” He said, pointing to Acerola.

Acerola groaned, rubbing her eyes with a yawn. “Nngh...what’s all the ruckus…?” She asked, and noticed she’d been leaning on Allister. She blushed a bit, and rubbed the back of her head. “Oh! Uh, morning Allie.” She greeted.

Bea looked at the two trainers. As serious, never-smiling as the girl was, she just couldn’t help but to grin a little bit at the situation. “Oh, I see. Allister, looks like you got a girlfriend.” She said softly.

Allister looked embarrassed. “A-A girl…? N-No, no! I-It’s not like that Bea! I only just met her, anyways…” He blushed so much so that even his ears flushed pink.

Bea chuckled a little bit. “Right, right, and Tepig can fly.” She said rather sarcastically, and helped both of them up. Bea looked down at Acerola. “My name is Bea. I’m a fighting type expert. I was Stow-on-side’s gym leader last year, but I guess Allister was just a little better at battles this season, so I decided to leave on a training trip. And you are?”

Acerola smiled up at the muscular girl. “Nice to meet you, Bea! My name is Acerola, and I’m from the Alola region. I’m a ghost-type expert, and a member of Alola’s Elite 4.”

Bea smirked. “A ghost-type expert, huh? No doubt that’s how you and Allister hit it off.” She observed, amused as she noticed Allister looking even more shy.

Acerola gave Bea a goofy smile. “You’re right about that! I must say, Allister is great with ghost-type Pokemon. I really enjoyed watching him battle. Battles in the Galar region are amazing!” She exclaimed eagerly.

Bea nodded. “It sounds like the two of you had a lot of fun yesterday.” She said, with a sigh. “I sure wish I knew what that felt like…”

Allister looked at Bea with a worried glance. He was perfectly aware of the overly-strict training that her parents expected of her. “S-Sorry if we rubbed it in your face, Bea…” He said quietly.

Bea looked at Allister. “Allister, don’t apologize, okay? It’s no fault of yours what’s expected of me.” She responded, patting the dark-haired boy on the head. “Anyways, I’ll be in town for the next few days if you need anything. See you around.” Bea said, and started to walk back down the stairs.

Allister sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “Maybe we should head back down too, huh?” He suggested.  
  
Acerola nodded in agreement. “Yeah I think so too. Let’s go, Allie!” She said, taking Allister’s hand and pulling him along with her.

Allister blushed a bit, and stumbled after Acerola. “Wait, d-do you even know where we’re going?” He asked frantically.

Upon hearing the gym leader’s question, Acerola stopped, and turned around. She rubbed the back of her head, giving Allister a cute, goofy smile. “...Nope.”

  
  


Allister had brought Acerola with him to a house not too far away from the gym. As soon as he arrived, a tall, lean man with blond hair ran over, and placed his hads on Allister’s shoulders.

“Allister, where did you go last night? Why didn’t you come home, or even bother to tell me where you were going?” The man questioned, looking concerned.

The young, black-haired male felt a little bit embarrassed. “Dad, ‘m fine...I was just enjoying the festival, that’s all…” He said.

Acerola looked up at the blond man with an eager, cheeky smile. “Oh my gosh...Aren’t you Morty, a former gym leader from the Johto region?” She asked.

The man glanced over at Acerola, and smiled. “Why...yes I am. And you’re a member of Alola’s Elite 4, correct? What brings you here?” He asked.

Acerola smiled. “You’ve got that right! My name’s Acerola, and I’m visiting the Galar region because I wanted to see dynamax in person. I met Allister and even got to see one of his battles.” She said happily. “Allister is surprisingly great in battle.”

Morty smiled at Acerola, and looked at Allister. “It looks like you made a new friend Allister. Good for you.” He said, ruffling Allister’s hair. “Anyways, your mother is out getting groceries. When she gets back, I want you to apologize. She was worried sick last night.” 

Allister sighed, and nodded. “R-Right...I will…” He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “I’ll do that when she comes back.

Morty smiled softly. “Good. And I’m sure she’ll forgive you quickly when she learns that you made a new friend.” He said.   
Allister looked a bit embarrassed. “Okay dad, I get it…” He said. “Can I go to my room now?” He asked.

Morty nodded. “Right, sure thing.” He said, and looked at Acerola. “Hey Acerola, why don’t you stay over for lunch?” He asked her.

Acerola gave Morty a cheeky grin, and nodded. “Sure thing! I think that sounds great!” She responded excitedly, taking a seat at the kitchen table. She noticed Allister head upstairs, and looked at Morty. “Is Allister alright?” She asked.   
Morty sighed, and smiled faintly. “Yeah, he is. He’s just shy, and very reclusive. But the fact he brought you here means he must be opening up even just a little bit.” He said, seeming happy about that thought.

About half an hour passed by since Allister came home, before a short, small-framed woman stepped inside, carrying bags of groceries. Her long, raven hair reached down to her thighs. Her eyes were purple, and she had a little mole on the left side of her face, just underneath her mouth.

“Morty, I’m back with the groceries! Has Allister returned home yet?” The woman asked as she walked into the kitchen, setting the groceries on the counter. It was then that she noticed Acerola. “And who might that be?” She asked.

Morty smiled a bit. “Allister returned home just half an hour ago. And that young lady at the table is named Acerola. She came here with him.” He said, giving the woman a kiss on the cheek. “Anyways Alice, Allister is in his room if you don’t mind checking on him. I’m almost done cooking here.” 

Alice nodded, smiling at Morty. “Alright, I’ll go check on him and then put the groceries up.” She said, walking upstairs, and down the hall to Allister’s room.

Alice knocked on the door to Allister’s room gently. “Allister, sweetheart, it’s your mum.” She called in a soothing tone.

Allister reluctantly opened the door, and looked up at Alice. “H...Hey mum. Um…’m sorry for staying out all night...I didn’t mean to worry you or dad…” He said.

Alice smiled gently, and hugged Allister. “I’m just happy that you’re home, safe and sound.” She said. “Now, come downstairs. It’s rude to bring a guest and then just stay in your room the whole time.” She said.

Allister seemed a little bit embarrassed to be called out, and sighed. “R-Right…” He said, following his mother along, walking downstairs with her.

Acerola looked over at Allister, and smiled at him. “There you are! How come you’re hiding in your room, Allie?” She asked. “I still wanna get to know you better.”

Allister rubbed the back of his head. Why was he hiding in his room? Was he nervous? Was it just habit? He wasn’t entirely sure. “Sorry about that…” He said a bit quietly, before sitting down next to Acerola. 

Morty had just finished up cooking lunch. As Alice put away the groceries, Morty started making plates for everybody, and served it on the table. Morty and Alice then joined Allister and Acerola, and the four of them began to eat together.


End file.
